Signal-box



SIGNAL BOX.

Patented July 5, 1887.

N. PETERS. Plwlolnhngmphcr. Wnshinglon. D C

llnirn' Sra'rns HENRY A. CHASE, OF STONEHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TOTHE MUNICIPAL SIGNAL COMPANY, OF PORTSMOUTH, NE HAMPSHIRE.

SIGNAL-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 366,154, dated July 5,1887.

Application filed August 31, 1886. Serial No. 212,315. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY A. CHASE, of Stoneham, county of Middlesex,and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement inSignal-Boxes, of which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawingsrepresenting like parts.

This invention has for its object to construct a signal-box which may beemployed formu-v nicipal signaling.

The signal-box herein shown as embodying my invention contains apermanent circuitchanging device to transmit the number of the box and amotor, the said permanent circuitehanging device being under the controlof and cooperating with a key which may be introduced into the box, thesaid key being provided with one or more arbitrary signalingsurfaces,whereby other signal than that indicated by the permanentcircuit-changing de vice may be transmitted to another station.

This invention is applicable, among other uses, to police-signals, inwhich instance a se- 2 ries of boxes are located in the rounds or beatsmade by the oflicers, each officer carrying what I herein term a key, itconsisting of apiece of metal having formed upon its surface a signalindicating the number of the officer carrying it, so that whenintroduced into the box containing the permanent circuit-changing devicethe box number, together with the number of the officer, is transmittedto a distant station, thereby giving notice at such latter place as towhich box has been operated and who has operated it, each officerhaving, it will be understood, a key with a different signalingsurface.One of the keys herein shown is .provided with two signaling-surfaces,one

of which designates the number of the officer carrying such key,and theother a special signal, together with the officers number, and if manyspecial signals are desired the key will have as many sides or faces asthere are specialsignals.

Figure 1 shows in side elevation a signalbox constructed to embodythisinvention, the side wall thereof being removed and the key inserted,the parts being in a position to trans 5o mit a signal; Fig. 2, a topView of Fig 1, the motor being removed; Fig. 3, a top-view of the motor;Fig. 4:, a similar view to Fig. 1, with the parts in their normalposition; Fig. 5, a perspective view of the key and the carriagecarrying the cooperating eontactpiece,

and Fig. 6 a perspective view of a key having three signaling-faces.

The box or case A is of any usual or suitable shape and constructed tocontain the operative parts. A suitable motor, M, (see Figs. 1 and 3,)is contained within the box or case.

The motor shown consists of a toothed wheel,

a, mounted loosely upon a shaft, a, said toothed wheel a meshing with apinion, a", fixed to the shaft a, carrying the toothed 6 wheel a, whichin turn meshes with a pinion,

a fixed upon a shaft, a, carrying the escapement-wheel a Aratchet-wheel, a, is also mounted loosely upon the shaft a, but it isfixed to the toothed wheel a to move in uni- 7:) son therewith, and saidwheel is engaged by a pawl, a, carried by a lever, a secured to theshaft a, and extended vertically for a short distance.

A mainspring, a, secured to and wound about the shaft a, has one of itsends connected with the box or case A, or to some other stationaryframe, so that as the lever a is moved, as will be described from itsposition shown in Fig. 4, into the position shown in Fig. 1, the shaft awill be rotated and the main spring a wound up; but when said lever a isreleased, the recoil of the main spring rotates the shaft a in theopposite direction, the pawl a. at such time engaging the 8 5 teeth ofthe ratchet-wheel a. The return movement of the lever a to its normalposition is thus regulated by the escapement mechanism. Another lever,7), similar to the lever a is mounted loosely upon the shaft a, it being0 slightly bent at its upper end to lie inthe path of and so as to bemoved by a key, bar, or plug, D. The lever b has a pivoted latch,

b, which engages a stud, b projecting from one side of the lever a saidlatch being nor mally retained in such position by the spring I) bearingagainst the arm 1) thereof, that as the said lever b is pushedrearwardly by the key the lever a will also be moved back with it.

The arm b of the pivoted latch Z) at the extreme rearward position ofthe lever Z) strikes IOO \ lever a may be returned slowly into itsnormal position by means of the motor M, while the lever b is held inits rearward position by the said key. The lever 7) upon being releasedby the withdrawal or removal of the key will be returned to its normalposition by a spring, If.

A carriage, G, mounted to slide freely upon a track, 0, extendedtransversely of the box or case A, has ablock, c", to which is attacheda contact-pen, c, and the said block having a binding-post, 0 or othersuitable connecting device, to which one terminal of the line or branchwire 3 will be secured. The contact-pen ois arranged to wipe overasignalingsurface formed upon a bar, a, secured to the box or case A byscrew 8, extended through the bar and into a suitable insulating-block,0 such bar and pen constituting a permanent circuit-changing device. Thecarriage 0 is joined with the lever a by a connecting-link, 2. Two othercontact-pens, e e, are secured to the carriage 0 within the open lowerportion 0 thereof, through which open portion the key D, herein shown asa bar of metal,having a signaling-surface formed thereon, may be passed,the said contact-pens e e wiping over the said signaling-surface as thecarriage is moved backward at a slow speed by the motor.

The key D, shown in Figs. 1 and 5, has two faces provided with asignaling-surface, one of which may indicate the officers number, andthe other any arbitrary signal, together with the ofiicers number.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a key, D, having three faces, so that two specialarbitrary signalingsurfaces are presented.

By referring to Figs. 1 and 5, the signalingsurface at one face or sideis represented as 232, which may correspond with the officers number,and the arbitrary signal at the other face or side represents a dot anddash, followed in succession by the officer s number, 232.

. Referring to Fig. 2, the bar 0 of the permanent circuit-changingdevice represents 34, which may characterize the box or its locality.

The main line L enters the box and passes through two'springcontrolledlocking devices,

- d, shown as sliding bolts, which normally bear 'is represented uponthe bar 0.

against each other, but which may be spread apart by the wedge-point 25of the key D as the latter is being inserted into the box. Three branchWires, 3 4 5, lead from the main line L within the box. The wire 3 leadsto the bindingpost 0 and thence to the contact-pen c. The wire 4 leadsto the bar 0, upon which the box number is represented, it forming partof the permanent circuit-changing device, the other wire, 5, leading tothe lower end of the lever b. The operation is as follows when employedfor police-signaling service and the like: Each box in the circuit isnumbered, and such number Each officer has a key, by which he mayoperate the box, and the officers key contains a number correspondingwith the number by which he is designated in the police service. As theofficer goes from box to box he introduces his key through the key-holek, the wedge-shaped end of the key first separating the locking deviceor bolts d d and then striking the upper end of the lever b, andthereafter the further inward movement of the key moves the lever 1)reargrooves cut in the opposite sides of the said key. When the key Dhas been fully pushed in, said spring-bolts d 01 enter holes made in theinsulated portions 10 of and hold the said key against such pressure aswould tend to force it outward.

wire 3, contact-pen a, bar 0', and branch wire 4 to the main line. Asthe pivoted latch b is tripped, the lever a and the carriage C are Inthis condition of the 0 parts the current will pass through the branchslowly returned to their normal position by the motor, and thecontact-pen a, during the first part of its return movement, wipes overthe signaling-surface formed upon the bar 0', therebysuccessivelychanges the condition of the circuit to cause anysuitablereceiving-instrument-such, for instance, as an ordinaryself-starting register loc'ated at the main station to respond andannounce the number of the box, and during the last part of the returnmovement of the said carriage O the contact-pen 0' leaves the bar 0'',causing the current to pass through the branch wire 3, contact-pens 6,key D, lever 12, and branch wire 5 to the main line L, so that as'thecontact-pens e 6 pass over the signaling-surface formed upon the key Dthe number there represented, and any other character or signal thereon,will also be transmitted to the distant station and will be receivedupon the register which receives the box number. The key D is thenwithdrawn, permitting the two spring-controlled locking devices or boltsd d to make contact with each other and again complete the line andpermit the lever bto return to its normal position.

If a special signal is desired to be transmitted, another side, or, inthis instance, as shown in Fig. 5, the underside, of the key D, isturned uppermost.

It is obvious that the key D may have as many signaling-faces as desiredaccording to the number of special signals; also, many of the operatingparts within the box may be changed and yet subserve the purpose hereindescribed, so I do not desire to limit my invention to the specificconstruction shown, the gist of the invention being to transmit apermanent signal and an arbitrary or variable signal through the mediumof a key or equivalent, which is temporarily introduced into the box.

I claim- 1. In a signal-box, the combination, substantially asdescribed, of a circuit-changing device consisting ofa'signaling-surface and a contact-pen, each permanently located withinthe box, and another curcuit-ehanging device consisting of a removablekey having a signaling-surface formed thereon, which co-operates with acontact-pen also permanently located within the box, a movable carriagecarrying the contact-pens, and a motor mechanism for controlling themovement of the carriage, substantially as described.

2. In a signal-box, the combination, substantially as described, of acircuit-changing device permanently located therein, consistingofasignaling-surlace and a contact-pen, and an independent removable keyhaving two signaling-surfaces thereon, which is introduced into the box,a contact-pen arranged to cooperate with the signaling-surface upon saidindependent key to form another circuit-changing device, and motormechanism, substantially as described, to control the operation of thesaid circuit-changing devices, as set forth.

3. In a signal box, the combination, substantially as described, of acircuit-changing device permanently located therein, and an independentremovable key having a signaling-surface thereon which is introducedinto the box, and means, substantially as described, co-operating withthe said key, to also change the condition of the circuit, whereby aper,- manent and an arbitrary signal may be transmitted to a distantstation, substantially as described.

4. In a signal-box, the combination, substantially as described, of acontact-pen located within the box, motor mechanism, sub stantially asdescribed, for moving it, and an independent removable key, D, havingone or more signaling snrfaces thereon, whereby the key introduced intothe box places the contact-pen into position to be actuated by themotor, the said pen being caused to travel over the key while the latteris retainedin the box, as set forth.

5. A signal-box wherein are combined the following elements, viz: acircuitchanging device permanently located within the box which changesthe condition of the circuit to transmita signal characteristic of thelocality of the box, and another circuit-changing device consistingof acontact-pen located within the box, and an independent removable keyhaving a signaling-surface formed thereon, which is introduced into thebox in position to be acted upon by its contact-pen to change thecondition of the current and transmit another signal, substantially asdescribed.

6. In a municipal telegraph system wherein are combined a series ofboxes each containing a circuit-changing device permanently locatedwithin the box, which when operated transmits the box number, aseries ofremovable keys, one of which is carried by each officer, each of saidkeys having a different signaling-surface formed thereon, whichindicates the number of the officer carrying it, and a contact-penlocated within each box with which any one of the said keys mayco-operate when introduced, thereby to transmit the number of theoflicer operating any one of the boxes.

7. In a municipal signal system, a central office, electricallyconnected substation sigcal-boxes located at the sub-stations andprovided with a motor and with permanent ciremit-changing devices toindicate the number or location of the said boxes, and a pen, e,combined with an independent key adapted to be inserted into a box atthe sub-station, the said key having asignaling-surfaceto designatenotonly the officer using the said key.

but also an arbitrary signal, whereby not only the number of the box butalso the officer and the arbitrary signal on the key may be designatedor transmitted to the central office be tween the time of the insertionand removal of the said key.

8. An independent removable multiple transmitting key or device, whichconsists of a bar or plug having two or more faces, each face of whichis provided with a different signaling-surface, substantially asdescribed- 9. In asignal system, the combination, substantially asdescribed, of a series of signalboxes, a permanent circuit-changingdevice for each box, and asecond circuit-changing device for each box, acooperative part of each latter circuit-changing device being re movableand interchangable among the several boxes.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY A. CHASE.

Vitncsses:

Bannrcn J. Noyes, FRED L. EMERY.

